Friends Through the Fire // By Meagan Dwyer

Today I want to talk to you about friendship. About who’s in your corner, who you call or text on a regular basis, who you hang out with, and who is cheering you on. It says in God’s word that friendship, and who you’re walking through life with, is important.

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Proverbs 13:20 says, “Become wise by walking with the wise; hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.”

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Friendship is described as a relationship between friends. It provides companionship and contributes positively to mental well-being and improved physical health. Did you know that? Did you know that your friends can help or hurt your mental well-being and health? I think that’s pretty eye-opening.

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For me, this past year has been a defining moment in my friendships. My husband and I had just moved back to Oklahoma from Illinois and were praying for friends to do life with. Friends to challenge us by the way they live out their lives and friends who were like-minded and in the same stage of life as us.

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Man, did God answer.

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The community of people that we’re now apart of is ONLY GOD. Seriously, the people we’re surrounded by have changed us. They have propelled us forward. They have believed in us. Prayed for us. Spoken life over us. And been there for us when times have been hard. Because of who we are surrounded by, we have seen amazing growth in our relationships with God.

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Do you have that? Do you have friends that are there with you on the mountains and in the valleys?

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Let’s take a look at a bible story about a friendship that walked through fire together and came out on the other side stronger. In Daniel 3, it talks about three guys named Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. These friends were serving Jesus together and everything was going great. And then there was this king, Nebuchadnezzar, who demanded that when they heard a sound of music, they were to bow to the gold statue of Nebuchadnezzar. Anyone who refused to obey would immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.

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What were the guys to do when they they were told to bow to a man, but served God and God alone?

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The music played, and not one of them bowed to the statue. Together, they united to stand for what they believed in. The result? The king threw them into the furnace. (Did I mention that he turned up the furnace 7 times hotter?) But then a miracle happened. They three men went into the fire and not only did God show up amongst them in the furnace, but they came out untouched, not even a hair on their body was singed.

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SO POWERFUL.

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We all need friends like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego because I believe wholeheartedly that they wouldn’t have been able to walk into the furnace without each other. I’m not going to say it would have stopped them, but I imagine that they felt at ease knowing they were going into the fire together. And because of their obedience to God, many people were saved – including the king that put them there in the first place!

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This is why friends are so important. You need friends to do life with, friends that will go through the fire with you. Friends that will be with you through tough circumstances, praying for you, cheering you on and being in your corner. Friends that speak life over you and challenge you in your spiritual walk with God. The friends in your life can either pull you back or launch you forward.

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What kind of friends do you have?

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Here’s my challenge to you; Get in a community. Not just any community, but a community of like-minded believers. People who can encourage you, edify you, and build you up. If you can, do it today! Don’t wait until next week or a month from now. I can tell you from my personal experience that the community you surround yourself with can, and will, change your life.